


An Empty Mark

by NanaBread



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanaBread/pseuds/NanaBread
Summary: (It says this is finished, but it’s not, there’ll be more chapters and it isn’t discontinued, so dw!)But Hajime Wasn’t ready for this. Pure dread filled him every time he thought about it. He couldn’t stop the thoughts from rushing in and worrying him even more. He couldn’t accept the truth.What if I don’t have a soulmate?What if this will end my life?What if my soulmate doesn’t love me back?What if-
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Mioda Ibuki/Soda Kazuichi, Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundham
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I’m still quite new to AO3 so I’d appreciate constructive criticism, and if you have any questions feel free to ask them below! :)
> 
> Also, I sort of set this in a made up town, it’s not really anywhere in specific but it may have western elements since I’m not very familiar with Japanese culture, sorry.

Hajime leaned against the wall, lurking silently. The room possessed many voices, some familiar, others not. His ears picked up a popular tune that settled in the background dimly. He could notice it along with the other noises that roamed around despite the dim.

Hajime wasn’t hanging out with the other people. He just calmly watched, looking around the room. It was already welcoming for him alone where he could have time to think about the upcoming events.

Other party guests moved around enthusiastically, dancing and socialising. His eyes caught a few others that kept to themselves too. 

A paper plate occupied his hands. A tea sandwich sat on top, not even a single bite on it.

The place’s decorations were pleasing to look at. Heart-shaped bunting lined the walls. The carnation pink popped out vibrantly and complemented the metallic gold balloons and pastel pink polka-dot tablecloth that was home to an assortment of snacks on top.

Moonlight peered through the curtains. It revealed the still night that many parties disrupted, Including this one.

Koizumi was the one who offered to host the party at her house. Chiaki, Naegi, and Souda helped her decorate the place after she insisted some boys helped decorate and prepare for the party. Hajime volunteered. Even though he had studying to do, he knew that seeing everyone have fun was better than getting worried over work anyways.

But Chiaki made an excuse for him not to come, saying that she _‘Still needed to wrap her present-- maybe’_ and insisted on Hajime getting some rest.

This made him suspicious. Was Chiaki planning something? Or did she know that he couldn’t get enough sleep last night, worrying about what the future might have in store. He knew that Chiaki picked up some skills from her close friend Tsumiki, but he wasn’t sure if she could read faces as well as Tsumiki or not.

It surprised him that Chiaki didn’t mention anything about it, which relieved him since he didn’t want anyone to confront him about the restless night before this one.

He noticed a familiar voice approach him, one that wasn’t close to him but still appeared regularly at school. It made him snap out of thought and turn his head to face them.

“Hey Hinata, I wanted to ask you something.” Koizumi stood in front of him. Her face dappled with small freckles alongside her apple-red bob.

“Oh, what is it?” Hajime mumbled awkwardly, breaking eye contact straight after she walked closer, keeping a respectful distance. He tried not to meet her intimidating gaze since he felt like Koizumi would lecture him at any given moment, even if she seemed less bossy at the moment. 

“Are you okay? You look a little, Err, down.” She faltered, slightly whispering the last part to make sure no one heard it.

He built up the courage to look up and meet Koizumi’s gaze, even if it wasn’t for that long. 

“I’m fine, just nervous.” He replied vaguely.

The truth was that Hajime barely had a good night’s sleep last night, his head kept on searching through many possibilities of what would happen since it would be everyone’s 16th New Year’s Day today. That meant everyone was going to get their soulmate markings. ‘Soulmarks’ was the short word for it. They usually appear on your wrist’s dominant hand, but in some cases they’ll affect you differently, linking you to your soulmate somehow.

But Hajime _Wasn’t ready_ for this. Pure dread filled him every time he thought about it. He couldn’t stop the thoughts from rushing in and worrying him even more. He couldn’t accept the truth.

_What if I don’t have a soulmate?_

_What if this will end my life?_

_What if my soulmate doesn’t love me back?_

_What if-_

Hajime felt a nudge on his shoulder, forcing him to snap out of thought once more and looked up. He saw Koizumi with a stern look on her face.

“Hey, Hinata! Jeez, you should really pay more attention to girls when they’re talking to you, you know.” Koizumi hissed.

He just nodded sheepishly, he wanted to look away to avoid her intimidating glare, but also didn’t want her to think he wasn’t paying attention again, so he forced himself to meet her sage green eyes.

“Anyways, I was going to ask you if you wanted to join Me, Ibuki-chan, Naegi and Mikan-chan over there.” Koizumi pointed over towards a spot near the edge of the table. It wasn’t far from where he was.

“Oh, okay.” He didn’t have anywhere else to go, so he agreed. He already had a bond with the others in some way.

Naegi sits beside him in most of his classes. He usually ends up doing projects with him, since they already sat near each other and were pretty close.

Mioda always knows how to lift everyone’s spirits and is quite popular among her peers, making lighthearted jokes and pulling pranks on her classmates. Her enthusiasm has gotten her in trouble before, but she resolves her problems quickly and effectively.

Tsumiki always apologises to him for the lightest of things, apologising even when she's done nothing wrong. Though it confuses Hajime, he still ends up feeling guilty and helps her if he knows how.

Tsumiki’s knowledge of healthcare and instinct to help the sick and injured had made her a favourite for many teachers.

Koizumi always ends up being the leader in any group project and lectures him on things he does, even if he isn't in the same group as her. He tries not to get paired with Koizumi to avoid a portion of her lectures.

Once Hajime arrived there with Koizumi, a welcoming and familiar face greeted him.

“Hellooo Hajime-Chan! How are you, birthday boy?” Mioda chirped, waving her arm around energetically. 

“It’s technically not my birthday yet.” He bluntly corrected her, hoping that his tone wasn’t too harsh.

“Well, Ibuki thinks that doesn’t matter. How do you feel right now?” She responded, she nearly sounded warm and sentimental, unlike Mioda’s usual playful personality.

_Is it that obvious? Is everyone going to interrogate me or something?_

“I’m fine.”

“Alrighty then!” She responded. He swore he heard a hint of doubt in Mioda's voice, but he was probably just overthinking.

Naegi spoke up, making a lighthearted joke, exaggerating. “It’s kinda weird that we’re all going to get our soulmarks soon, I mean… I could walk out of this party with blue hair!” The others laughed, Hajime joined in with a hesitant laugh.

“I-I just hope no one gets hurt from this…” Tsumiki stuttered, her voice sounded fragile and soft.

Hajime’s fists turned white from thinking about it. He didn’t want any of his friends to get hurt from this.

The group had a casual conversation, Hajime commented from time to time, but he mostly just listened to what everyone else had to say, sometimes thinking of some witty responses in his head.

Hajime felt a little uneasy all of a sudden. All the overthinking was getting to him a little more than it should’ve. He uncontrollably blurted out all of a sudden “I need to go to the bathroom!” in a panicky tone. It was a little out of nowhere, so the others had a small laugh before Koizumi directed him to the bathroom, leaving straight after.

As soon as she shut the door, he felt salty waves burst out of his eyes and watched his face turn into a bright red in the mirror. The look on his face seemed so _scared_. His heartbeat echoed violently in his chest as he tried his best to catch his breath.

_Why am I crying? Why am I so scared?_

_This is supposed to be a good thing, right?_

He felt queasy as he curled into a ball on the cold tile floor, giving in to his suddenly weak legs. 

He couldn’t calm himself down no matter how hard he tried. Everything was out to get him. _Loud_ and _dangerous_. He tried to search for some source of safety, but only found himself. There was no one out there who could give him that safety. He trembled in fear as he felt the walls come closer and restrict him. He hoped for it to end soon, and it did.

Once it ended, he pushed himself back up to his feet, fatigued. He wiped his tears and made sure he didn’t look like an emotional wreck before leaving and going back to the room where the party took place.

“Oh, Hajime-Chan is back!” Mioda called out merrily, waving hello.

“Jeez, what took you so long? Were you crying or something?” Koizumi sceptically questioned him. She had an annoyed look on her face.

“I um … I just felt a little sick is all,” Hajime answered nervously, it wasn’t entirely false.

“Ahm, if you’re still feeling sick, I could check up on you.” Tsumiki offered awkwardly, she seemed concerned about his wellbeing, but Hajime quickly dismissed her offer so things wouldn’t escalate even more.

“No, I’m fine.”

“O-okay then.”

\---

It was time, the numbers made Hajime feel nervous. The countdown was seconds away as many eyes were fixed on to the tablet screen that sat on the table upright, supported by the cover.

His thoughts were more taunting this time, laughing in his face with pure malice in its tone. He wished he could completely freeze time and forget all of this, even if this was inevitable.

Who knew what he would get? It could be deadly and fatal, a timer that pressures you to find your soulmate, or it could be something helpful, like a red string of fate, a blessing that he doubted he would get at all.

Everyone started counting down, but Hajime felt too dumbstruck to even do anything, he just stared into the screen, watching the numbers made him feel sick.

10

9

8

7

A part of him just wished that he didn’t have a soulmate, he wouldn’t need to feel worried about being tied to someone forever but he didn’t want to be alone for his entire life.

6

5

4

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for whatever change may occur to him.

3…

2…

1…

‘HAPPY NEW YEARS!’

All he heard after that were several loud bangs, an odd burning smell lingered in the air and entered his nostrils. Something light brushed past his face, barely touching the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes to reveal almost everyone, apart for a couple of people, holding used party poppers in their hands, many colours surrounding the area, some confetti even landing on his spiky hair.

Oddly enough, he didn’t notice any changes. _Maybe it’s on his wrist?_ He pondered for a while before Chiaki approached him with a present in her hands.

“Happy birthday, Hajime. I hope you like it.” She said in a calm and welcoming voice. Hajime and Chiaki were childhood friends for as long as he could remember, they had a very close bond. 

She handed him a metallic silver gift bag with dark green tissue paper stuffed inside of it.

“Thanks.” The corners of his lips turned up in gratitude. He stuck his hand into the gift bag and felt something soft against his hands. He pulled it out and revealed a pair of fluffy black socks and a figurine of his favourite video game character buried in the tissue paper.

He pulled out a card from the gift bag; The blue card read ‘Happy Birthday! - 16’ and once he opened it: 

_‘Happy Birthday and Happy New Years, Have you thought of a resolution yet?’_

“I don’t think I have, I guess I was busy with other things.” He answered the question in the card to Chiaki.

Chiaki nodded, “I’m glad you like it… I think.”

“Hey, what did you get for your soulmark?” Hajime asked and hoped for no bad news.

“That doesn’t matter, it’ll just worry you more.” Chiaki quickly said, she seemed serious, but friendly at the same time.

_So they_ ** _are_** _trying to distract me._

“Well, I’m going to check mine.” After Hajime clarified that Chiaki suddenly seemed more uptight. His heart raced the more time he took to check for a soulmark. He mentally prepared himself to pull up his left hoodie sleeve but heard a voice call out his name in a convivial tone.

“Hajime-chaaan!” The word ‘chan’ was stressed enough for him to know that it was Mioda who called his name, that and her being the only one who called him ‘Hajime-chan.’

His blood boiled as he turned around, trying his best not to show any sign of aggression.

_Is everyone trying to hide something from him?_

“I got the birthday boy a present!” She gave a cheeky, playful smile as she weaved her way towards Hajime.

She handed him a large present that was strangely wrapped with a playful smirk across her face. 

He tore out the wrapping paper, just to find a box… then another one… then another one after that… it just kept on going, until he got to something that wasn’t a box.

_A can of beans? All of those boxes for a can of beans?_ **_Seriously?_ **

“Ibuki put the present inside this can.” Mioda chirped and took a step back, which raised more suspicion

Chiaki also took a couple of step backs and grinned, she slightly covered her mouth with her hand and watched intently.

He gingerly opened the can knowing fully well that Mioda pranked people often. Curiosity bubbled up, trying to compete with his hesitance.

**POP!**

A false snake leapt out from the can, he flailed his arms from shock and dropped the can, causing it to clatter on the ground.

Fury surged through him until he clenched his fists and roared, ferocity in his demeanour. “What is **up** with everyone today!? Are you all **_trying_ ** to hide the harsh truth from me?” 

The room went quiet, his heartbeat became more violent and his breathing quickened as everyone peered at him, their eyes all judged him.

“I just wanted to cheer you up a little! I just wanted to cheer you up a little!” Mioda repeated, Her voice was serious, but fear cracked it under the pressure.

He never lashed out from any of Mioda’s pranks before. He always laughed at her light-hearted jokes, even if they surprised him at first.

Koizumi approached them with a glint of disappointment in her eyes, then Souda also walked over and stood next to Mioda. “What the hell, man? It’s just some stupid soulmark!”

He whipped around furiously after Chiaki spoke up. “We were only trying to keep your mind off of it!” Her words were desperate to reason with him, but she sounded like she was trying her best to keep calm.

His eyes narrowed, making his nose wrinkle once he yelled. “Well, it **didn’** t work.” He left everyone in the room shocked as he exited, closing the door behind him. The weight of the judgement disappeared.

Once he cooled down a little, he pulled up his left sleeve to check his soulmark and revealed…

_Nothing._

This must’ve intensified his temper because he felt another wave of fury crash into him without mercy, but then he started crying.

His shoulders broke free from tension. His fists loosened. He sat against the wall with his knees against his chest.

He was… scared? 

_What does this mean? Don’t I have a soulmate? No... No. There’s no way I don’t have a soulmate!_

Every time he tried to push away the thought, it kept on coming back like he was playing fetch.

 _Damn it. I’m such a crybaby._ Crying over something that didn’t even appear, he’s a fool.

He hurt his friends over _nothing_. The fear in Mioda’s eyes kept on flashing in his mind like a flickering lightbulb, each time making guilt weigh him down even more. Suddenly, the word ‘Disappointment’ echoed in his head. 

_No. I don’t want to be a disappointment! Not anymore._

His hands gripped onto his jeans violently as tears started rushing down more and all he could hear were his sobs and sniffles.

He then heard the door open. He was tempted to turn his head to the right to see who it was but he didn’t want anyone to walk in on him crying his eyes out.

“Hinata-kun?” It was Naegi’s voice, but it sounded more quiet and approachable. He crouched down next to Hajime with a worried look fixed on his face. “Are you crying?” he asked, concern embedded into his voice.

Hajime turned his head to face Naegi warily, there was no point in hiding it now. His eyes were puffy as he kept on crying.

He was going to answer Naegi’s question, Hajime searched for the right words to say, but found nothing, only showing Naegi his face filled with pain. It was like his voice evaporated. He tried his best to at least say any word, but was only met with brief silence before Naegi pushed the question away and changed the topic. 

“We were so fixated on trying to keep your mind off of your soulmark after Nanami-san told us you were stressed about the situation. We didn’t know it was making everything worse, sorry.

He finally was able to push out his thoughts. “I-I hurt everyone’s feelings when they just… they just wanted to help.” He sniffled, his voice was shaky.

“Can I hug you?” Naegi offered before Hajime nodded and leaned in for a hug. He didn’t realise how much he needed it until he felt his emotions spill out more intensely.

“I’m positive they’ll forgive you,” Naegi reassured him kindly and gave Hajime a friendly pat on the back.

After a while, Hajime was able to recover with the help of Naegi’s reassuring words.

He took a deep breath and opened the door, Naegi following his lead as he stepped into the room.

He noticed the drastic shift in the ambience, a hollow shell of the former warmth the party once had. Hajime couldn’t help but think this was all because of him.

The tune that once lingered had vanished and the voices had died down into hesitant mutters and whispers.

He stood on a spotlight once he walked in, many stares threatening to make him hideaway, even if he knew not all of them were really there.


	2. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime finds himself in denial about his soulmark. There was nothing, but why couldn’t he accept it? Maybe there’s something he hasn’t discovered yet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I’ve been procrastinating a lot but I’ll try my best to write more

A few weeks had passed since New Year’s and Hajime always felt guilty whenever he reminded himself how much he must’ve hurt Mioda. Hajime had never seen her look so scared before, and it was his fault. But they were able to respect each other after they exchanged apologies.

Hajime practically swam in schoolwork every day once school started. He yearned to be at the top of his classes, countless hours dedicated to studying, but his efforts were never enough, someone always had to be better than him. No matter how hard he tried, he still wasn’t _enough_.

He wandered through the moderately filled hallway, where students lingered and spent their break time chatting with friends.

He wasn’t far from the library now. He quickened his pace, only to stop once he stumbled across some familiar faces. Naegi, Souda, and... someone else? He’d seen them talk to Naegi before, but Hajime had never even considered getting to know them.

“Hey, Hinata-Kun! We were looking for you.” Naegi casually waved to Hajime as they all approached.

“Oh, hey, what’s up?” They instantly caught Hajime’s attention.

_What's this all about?_

“We want to help you with your soulmark since we know it’s been confusing for you,” Naegi answered sympathetically.

“Yeah, I wanna see what chick you’ll end up with!” Souda added, his tone eager.

_Oh._

The unfamiliar person silently watched, tuning in to the conversation with a calm expression resting on their face.

_I don’t have time for this._

“What can I even tell you about it?”

“I brought my friend Kirigiri-San to help since I'm pretty clueless without her.” Makoto awkwardly laughed.

Kirigiri waved politely, her lilac eyes unreadable. Hajime returned a small wave, giving a simple nod.

“Have you been feeling anything different lately?” Souda questioned.

_Are you my doctor or something?_ Hajime wished he could roll his eyes.

“No.” He quickly responded. Hajime impatiently tapped his feet.

“What? Nothing? Are you sure, man?” Souda spoke through his shark-like teeth

He shook his head and looked away to avoid seeing the disappointment in Souda’s face. How could anyone like him if he didn’t even have a soulmark?

“It might be something subtle, like his dreams,” Kirigiri suggested, maintaining a neutral expression.

“Or maybe things only happen when he’s near his soulmate?” Naegi propped his hand on his chin and fixed his gaze to the ground.

“I… I don’t know.” Hajime looked down as insecurity firmly grasped onto his shoulders.

“Maybe you don’t have a soulmate?” Souda scratched his head.

Hajime’s heart dropped. 

_That’s the last thing I want!_

_“_ Well, how about _you_ tell me what you got?” He looked up, his hazel glare pierced into Souda’s eyes. 

Kirigiri’s calm expression formed into something new. Her eyes narrowed, and she peered at him like Hajime just murdered someone, while Naegi went silent.

_Maybe I went a little too far._

Tension built up, only different voices audible until someone finally spoke up.

“I got a timer. There are only a few months left.” Souda’s voice was low. He went quieter each time he said a word. 

Hajime promptly felt the same venom that tormented him for days after the New Year’s party. But it came back deadlier than before.

“I… Sorry.” He couldn’t find the correct words to say, not after finding out his friend could possibly be in danger.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” 

They decided it was best to go their separate ways after that. Hajime headed to the library to print out sheets and left in time, which was considered early for others, but he didn’t want to get caught in a sticky web of crowds.

The thought of Souda’s soulmark hovered over his head like a rain cloud.

_He doesn’t deserve this!_

The thought lingered in his head until--

**BUMP**

_Ouch! What was that?_

Hajime then noticed that he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, and bumped into a locker.

_How the hell did I even end up doing that?_

He took a clumsy step back. Luckily, no one was there to witness it, but once he turned in the right direction, he saw someone further down the hallway. Something was odd about this person.

They definitely didn’t go to this school. They weren’t even wearing a school uniform.

_Maybe they're just new?_ They were about to enter the headmaster’s office, after all.

Hajime swore that they looked familiar, even though he saw the person from a distance, but he wasn’t very sure why they seemed so familiar.

Once the mysterious person entered the headmaster’s room, he shrugged off all his thoughts. It didn’t really matter anyway.

  
  


—-

  
  


Class started, he sat at his usual desk and looked at the classroom door, half-expecting the strange person from earlier to enter the room, but they never came. The weight of all his thoughts and problems crushed him like a boulder, and he just added even more useless weight to it.

_What am I even doing right now?_ He should forget about it, it wasn't even that important. But why did they seem so familiar?

“U-um… Are you alright, Hinata-Kun? You seem troubled.” Tsumiki asked from the desk to his right. “A-ah! I didn’t mean to assume that you were! I’m so sorry!” She added apologetically, shrinking.

_You didn’t even do anything wrong..._

“It was nothing, you don’t have to apologi--” Hajime was cut off once someone interrupted from behind.

“Can you two _please_ stop talking? Class is about to start.” Togami coldly scoffed from the desk behind Hajime.

_...Was that even necessary?_

Hajime tried his best to not doze off during class since he didn’t want to miss any important details, no matter how much he hated that class.

—-

As soon as lunch came, he headed to the cafeteria and sat on the table that Souda, Mioda, Ouma and Kiibo were sitting at.

“Hello there, Hinata-Kun.” Kiibo politely greeted him, but then turned around quickly after Ouma took his house keys from his pockets, waving them around with a mischievous grin on his face.

He watched as Kiibo tried to snatch his keys back, “That is _not_ funny!” Kiibo grumbled.

_How do those two even get along?_

“Hiya Hajime-chan!” Mioda waved joyfully, like always.

He felt a presence to his right and noticed Chiaki arrived, she set her tray on the table as she sat down.

Chiaki was greeted casually, and Hajime decided it was the perfect time to ask a question that had latched onto him throughout a fraction of the day.

“I wanted to ask you guys a question.” He asked everyone else, they drew their attention to Hajime.

“What’s the question?” Chiaki tilted her head.

“I saw this strange person but I don’t think they go here. Does anyone know them? He questioned, but no one seemed to know who he was. He tried describing what they looked like, but everyone shook their head or shrugged, except for one person.

“Oh, yeah, I know them,” Ouma said as he examined his nails. “He’s one of the members for my secret organisation. We’re planning to blow the school up.” He seemed unfazed by everything he just said.

“Don’t make jokes like that, you’re seriously freaking me out, dude!” Souda retorted.

_Do you really believe him?_

Ouma was obviously lying, so Hajime rolled his eyes and shrugged it off.

\---

Hajime decided to walk the long way home, some fresh air never hurt anyone.

It often snowed during the winter, so he wore his dark green scarf to stay warm. Many forests scattered around town, mainly filled with conifer trees. 

The green tufts of the trees now had chilly white puffs coated on top and frost which mercilessly spread like fungi.

Softly, the pale powder that blanketed the harsh concrete made a _crunch_ each step Hajime took. Blackbirds soared in the grey, cloudy, crisp sky, a bird’s lullaby caught in it.

He then noticed the same strange person from school in the distance. Their gazes met almost synchronously, and Hajime squinted his eyes.

_Hold on, that guy is…_

He then watched as the stranger’s foot slid backwards and they lost balance. Their face nearly met the floor, but the stranger shielded their face with their arms to avoid face planting into the thinly coated concrete ground in time.

Hajime rushed closer to help the other person and watched as they pushed themselves up from the ground with their arms.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hajime lent his hand to help the stranger up. They took his hand without hesitation, only for them both to quickly let go after a fierce spark snapped at them.

_Ow, what the hell?_

He saw the stranger’s grey-green eyes widen before their expression seemed calm again, and they steadily got up. They brushed off the snow that clung to their sleeves.

“Don’t worry about me, it was just a slip.” The stranger awkwardly laughed. 

Hajime suddenly felt more flustered, his heartbeat quickened.

_What the-? I barely even know this guy!_

The other person’s cheeks went a rosy pink, but it was probably from the cold.

Now that Hajime could see the stranger more clearly, he noticed that they were a guy about his age, and they had unusual white hair.

Hajime noticed that the stranger looked similar to the school’s headmaster, but only vaguely saw some sort of resemblance.

_Surely if he was related to the headmaster, I would’ve seen him befo—_

“Uh… Hey, are you there?” The stranger waved his hand to grab Hajime’s attention, which was successful.

_Crap!_

“I-I’m sorry! Was I staring?” Hajime stuttered, his tone was panicky. Why was he acting like this?

_He probably thinks I’m a creep now, great._

“No-no, it’s okay! Don’t worry.” The stranger fiddled with the strings of his green jacket bashfully.

Hajime was about to speak up, maybe to make things less embarrassing, but he couldn’t find the right words to say, so they both stood there in awkward silence.

The stranger quickly blurted out “I need to go now,” And left in a hurry.

_Great job, me._


End file.
